First-time cruiser FAQ for Miami: check-in, gratuities, drinks and ages

These are the questions a first cruise from PortMiami raises, answered from the cruise lines' own pages and PortMiami's releases as I read them on November 14, 2026. They cover the five lines whose pages I checked: Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC and Virgin Voyages. If your booking documents say something different, they decide.

What time should you arrive at PortMiami for your cruise?

At the arrival time you picked during online check-in, and not earlier. PortMiami's traffic release of October 16, 2026 asks passengers to "arrive only at their scheduled embarkation time." Each line sets those times its own way:

• Royal Caribbean. "Guests should arrive at the terminal within the arrival time slot selected during Royal App check-in," and anyone early "will not be able to begin boarding."
• Carnival. "During online check-in, you will be asked to select an arrival appointment."
• Norwegian. You choose an arrival time at online check-in, and Norwegian asks you not to "arrive earlier than one hour prior to the embarkation time noted in your eDocs." Guests without a check-in time should "arrive at the terminal after 12 pm."
• MSC. It gives every booking a check-in slot by default, which you can change during web check-in.
• Virgin Voyages. You pick a Terminal Arrival Time in the app. Boarding "generally begins at 2:15 pm, but Sailors must follow their selected Terminal Arrival Time."

When can you check in online for a cruise from Miami?

It depends on the line. MSC opens web check-in when the booking is confirmed, Royal Caribbean's app 45 days out, Norwegian 21 days out and Carnival 14 days out. The table gives each line's window and boarding deadline as its pages showed them on November 14, 2026.

Line	Online check-in	Be checked in or on board by
Royal Caribbean	App opens 45 days before sailing; its pages give different closing times	90 minutes before sailing on one page, 60 minutes or "sometimes 90" on another
Carnival	Within 14 days of sailing, until midnight Eastern time the night before	The Final Boarding time on your boarding pass
Norwegian	Between 21 and 3 days before sailing; it strongly recommends finishing at least 4 days before	On board one hour before departure
MSC	From booking confirmation to 2 days before departure	Check-in and boarding close 2 hours before departure
Virgin Voyages	No deadline given on the pages I read	On board three hours before departure, under its ticket contract

Royal Caribbean's pages disagree on when online check-in closes. One says the app runs "up to the morning of your sailing," its Know Before You Go page says "up to 72-hours before your sail date," and its check-in FAQ says the website is open "up to 48 hours before sailing." Check in more than 72 hours before sailing and you meet all three.

Two Royal Caribbean pages also give different cutoffs, "no later than 90 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time" on one and "no later than 60 minutes, sometimes 90 minutes" on the other, so plan on 90.

What happens if you are late for your cruise in Miami?

You do not sail. Royal Caribbean says "Guests arriving late will not be permitted to sail." Carnival says "all guests must be on board by the Final Boarding time printed on your boarding pass or you will not be permitted to sail," and Norwegian says the same of guests not on board an hour before departure.

MSC closes check-in and boarding 2 hours before the ship leaves. Virgin Voyages' ticket contract wants Sailors on board "three hours before scheduled departure at the port of embarkation."

Ports of call have shorter deadlines. Royal Caribbean says "the ship's all aboard time is scheduled approximately 30 minutes prior to sailing." Norwegian wants guests back an hour before the ship's scheduled departure, and Virgin "at least one hour before scheduled departure."

Which PortMiami terminal does your cruise leave from?

It depends on the line and the ship, and the PortMiami terminal guide covers each one. MSC gives its Miami address as Cruise Terminal AA, 2200 N Cruise Blvd, and Virgin Voyages says "Terminal V is located at 718 N. Cruise Blvd, Miami, FL 33132."

Know your terminal before you set off. PortMiami's October 16, 2026 traffic release sends traffic for Terminals AA, A, B, C and D through the PortMiami Tunnel, and for Terminals E, F, G, J and V over the PortMiami Bridge.

What should you bring for a cruise from Miami?

Your travel documents, in your hand luggage. Royal Caribbean asks guests to "keep all travel documents in your hand carry luggage/personal bags." The Miami cruise documents guide explains when a birth certificate and photo ID are enough and when you need a passport.

• Luggage tags. Carnival says its tags "must be affixed to your baggage prior to arriving at the terminal." Royal Caribbean and Norwegian put the tags in your eDocs, and Virgin Voyages emails them "7 days before the voyage." MSC asks you to label each bag with your name and surname, the ship, your stateroom number, and the date and port of departure.
• Weight. Carnival says each suitcase "should not exceed 50 pounds." MSC allows two suitcases of up to 23 kg, or 51 lbs, per person. Norwegian's embarkation FAQ allows two checked pieces of up to 22.7 kg each, and its packing page says 23 kg. Virgin Voyages sets no allowance but says cabin storage is limited.
• Porters. Porters take checked bags at the terminal. Carnival's page, read on November 14, 2026, says curbside porters are "customarily provided a $1 tip per bag," and Carnival's checked baggage service ends 2 hours before the ship's published departure time. Virgin's luggage drop-off in Miami "begins at 9am."
• What to leave at home. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian ban clothing irons. Carnival bans marijuana and CBD even where they are legal, and Norwegian bans CBD and THC products. Carnival and Virgin Voyages ban candles and incense, and Norwegian and Virgin ban drones.

How much are cruise gratuities on ships from Miami?

Between $16 and $22 per person for each day or night of the cruise in a standard cabin on the five lines here, as their pages showed on November 14, 2026, and more in suites. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC and Virgin Voyages add it to your onboard account automatically, and Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Virgin let you prepay instead.

Line	Standard cabin	Suites	Added to purchases
Royal Caribbean	$18.50 per guest per day	$21.00 per guest per day	18% on drinks, specialty dining, room service and minibar; 20% at the spa and salon
Carnival	$17.00 per guest per day	$19.00 per guest per day	20% on drinks and for-pay dining
Norwegian	$20.00 per person per day, Club Balcony Suite and below	$25.00 per person per day, The Haven and suites	20% on drinks, specialty dining and the spa
MSC	$17 per night if booked from May 11, 2026; $16 if booked earlier	Yacht Club $23 per night; $20 if booked earlier	18% on bar purchases on North America itineraries
Virgin Voyages	$22 per Sailor per night, or $20 if prepaid	No separate suite rate on its page	Its page calls the daily gratuity "the only gratuity on your voyage"

Carnival's rate applies from age 2, and you can prepay until "11:59 p.m. ET, two days before sailing," after which it goes on your Sail & Sign account. MSC charges nothing for children under 2. Norwegian's rate covers "All guests 3 years or older" on bookings made on or after January 1, 2023, and Virgin's rates apply from October 7, 2025.

MSC's general FAQ also says "Service Charge / Gratuities are included in the cruise fare," which contradicts its US service-charges page; the amounts above come from that page, and your cruise documents decide which applies to you.

Can you bring wine or drinks on a cruise from Miami?

Wine or champagne, yes, on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian and Virgin Voyages, within the limits below. MSC does not let you bring any drinks aboard, alcoholic or not. Royal Caribbean says "Guests are not allowed to bring beer or hard liquor onboard," and Virgin Voyages says "sorry, no liquor or beer please."

Line	Wine you may carry on	Corkage fee, November 14, 2026	Soft drinks and water
Royal Caribbean	One sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per guest of drinking age, on embarkation day	$15 per bottle in public areas	Up to 12 standard 17 oz. cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom
Carnival	One sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per person aged 21 and over, on embarkation day only	$15.00 per 750 ml bottle	Up to 12 sealed cans or cartons of 12 oz. or less per person; no water or soda in bottles
Norwegian	Sealed or corked bottles of wine and champagne; its page states no bottle limit	$15.00 per 750 ml bottle, $30.00 per 1,500 ml magnum	None, except factory-sealed water for medical devices and infant formula
MSC	None	Not applicable	None
Virgin Voyages	Two 750 ml bottles of wine per cabin, in carry-on bags, on embarkation day	$25 per 750 ml bottle in a restaurant or bar	Up to 12 sealed cans or cartons; no drinks in bottles

MSC's conditions of carriage say "Passengers are not permitted to bring onboard any such drinks," and its FAQ adds that the only food you can bring is "dry, packaged and commercially produced foods."

How old do you have to be to cruise from Miami?

Virgin Voyages takes adults only, from 18, and Carnival, Norwegian and MSC require guests to be 21 to sail without an older adult. Virgin says "the minimum age to book and sail is 18 years old."

• Carnival. Guests must be 21 on embarkation day "to travel on their own," and "Guests 20 years of age and younger MUST travel with a relative or guardian 25 years of age or older." Guests aged 21 to 24 "may travel with their minor children." Children 14 and younger share or connect to that adult's cabin, and guests 15 to 20 "Can be separated by up to 3 staterooms." Married couples and US or Canadian military aged 18 to 20 are exceptions.
• Norwegian. Guests under 21 "must be accompanied in the same stateroom" by "a guest 21 years of age or older at the time of boarding." Married couples aged 18 to 20 with proof, and US or Canadian military 18 and over, are exceptions.
• MSC. On voyages that include a US port, MSC counts anyone under 21 as a minor, though "guests aged 18-20 can be accommodated in a stateroom alone, provided they are traveling with a guest aged 21 or older." Its conditions of carriage say "The Carrier does not accept unaccompanied Minors."

Carnival's policy page is titled "Effective October 1, 2026," while the heading over its rules says they apply to "Bookings Created February 1, 2025 and Onward," so if you booked before October 1, 2026, ask Carnival which version covers you. Royal Caribbean publishes its own age policy, which I have not quoted here because I could not confirm its exact wording.

How old does a baby have to be to cruise from Miami?

Six months on Carnival and Norwegian, and 12 months on cruises with three or more sea days in a row. Carnival says "Infants must be at least 6 months of age at the time of embarkation in order to sail on domestic cruises," and 12 months on trans-ocean crossings and "remote itineraries, where there are more than 2 consecutive sea days."

Norwegian requires infants to be six months old on the day of boarding, and 12 months "if your cruise has 3 or more consecutive days at sea." MSC says "Infants under 2 years old are welcome on board, except on cruises lasting 11 nights or longer," and its FAQ gives no minimum age in months. Virgin Voyages takes no one under 18.

Is there a Bahamas departure tax on a cruise from Miami?

Yes. The Bahamas Customs Department lists $23.00 for "Every cruise ship passenger leaving The Bahamas by sea from any harbour in The Bahamas," and $25.00 when the ship leaves from a private destination and calls at no other Bahamas port. It adds a $5.00 tourism sustainability levy on cruise passengers arriving or leaving, and a $2.00 tourism enhancement levy on every passenger leaving.

Those were the amounts on the Customs page on November 14, 2026, and the page carries no date beyond a 2020 copyright line. Neither it nor any cruise line page I read says whether these charges are part of the taxes and fees in your fare. The Bahamas cruises guide covers the itineraries.

How short can your first cruise from Miami be?

The shortest sailing on this site's schedule is 2 nights. It lists 307 three-night and 424 four-night sailings from Miami. The lowest starting fares per person, taxes and fees included, were $199 for three nights and $159 for four on November 14, 2026.

The weekend and short cruises guide compares them, and the 3-night and 4-night pages list every date.